As your health coach, I provide ongoing support and guidance to help you set personal goals and make sustainable changes that will dramatically improve your health and happiness. As we work together, I will listen intently to your dreams and challenges while helping you navigate the confusing world of nutrition. Together, we will customize a plan for you based on your personal goals and health concerns. Along the way, as you implement these changes step-by-step, you will be empowered with tools and confidence to live a life of balance and vibrant health.

To discover if health coaching is right for you, I invite you to schedule a free initial consultation with me.
During this session, we will discuss your health and lifestyle to determine how I can best support you in achieving your goals.
Contact me today to schedule your free consultation.

Multiple practices can benefit people with high levels of stress in their lives. Yoga, tai chi, and meditation are some popular forms that can offer incredible benefits. What these all have in common is the connection to the breath. In connecting deeply to the breath, we are welcomed back to the here and now, the present moment. We can inhale fully, opening up to new possibilities. We can learn to exhale completely and release layers of tension. We can pause in stillness, coming home to our true selves. Working consciously with the breath in this way can provide profound healing and a sense of inner peace, and can help us learn to respond more calmly to life’s stressful situations.

I love to encourage people to try yoga. Stretching of any kind can be beneficial, but what makes yoga so wonderful is that, through the focus on the breath, a union of mind, body, and spirit is formed. Many of the movements in yoga originate from the breath. I’ve known many people who were initially reluctant to attempt yoga, but when they finally went to a class, they fell in love with it! Once they got past their mental resistance and preconceived notions, they were able to see their bodies move in new ways, which opened up their minds and their awareness. I’ve seen complete transformations in people who’ve included a yoga practice in their lives.

Tai Chi is a graceful form of martial arts that is also deeply intertwined with the breath. I like to think of it as meditation in motion. It’s a fluid, gentle form of exercise that can subtly connect you with the rhythms of nature. As you concentrate on the breath and the serene movements of the body and hands, the mind becomes calm and clear. Tai Chi is also meant to move our life energy (qi), through the pathways of our body (meridians). When we remove stagnation or blocks in these pathways, our health is greatly enhanced, and stress is reduced.

Along with Yoga and Tai Chi, there are many styles of meditation. Some have different goals in mind, but overall, through concentrated focus and deep, rhythmic breathing, meditation brings the mind and body into a state of relaxation and enhanced well-being. Many scientific studies have proven the connection between meditation and improvement in health.

If you’re interested in beginning to practice meditation, there is a variety of available resources. You can attend meditation groups in your area, read books, listen to CDs, and even download apps for your phone or tablet. I find that when starting any new endeavor like meditation, yoga, or tai chi, it’s best to go into it with an open mind and explore. You may not find the perfect class or teaching right away, but keep in mind that there are many styles of teachings and teachers, and it’s important to find one that feels right for you.

Meditation, Tai Chi, and yoga are a few of the practices I’ve seen (and personally experienced) that can help people deal with stress and anxiety. By centering ourselves with the breath and combining it with concentrated focus, we can detach from the stressors of life and melt away layers of tension. We can free our minds from the perpetual wheel of jumbled thoughts, leaving us with a renewed sense of joy, lightness, and inner peace.

***Disclaimer: Before you begin any new practice or exercise, it is advised to consult with your medical practitioner first. This information is for educational purposes only, and does not take the place of working personally with a qualified healthcare provider.

When we push ourselves to get more done, we typically don’t make the healthiest choices for our bodies. We stay up later, feel exhausted the next day, reach for more artificial stimulation, skip our workout or self-care, and end up feeling even worse. This vicious cycle can lead to severe exhaustion, adrenal fatigue, and ultimately a breakdown in our health. You can stop the cycle now, achieving balance between your professional and personal life and your health and wellness.

First, begin by carving out chunks of time for yourself. Make time to do something that rejuvenates and nourishes you. Maybe you’re craving a treatment like massage or acupuncture. You might want to do yoga, meditate, create a painting, or take a walk in nature. Whatever it is that speaks to your soul, schedule a little time and commit to doing it for yourself. When that time comes, let go of all distractions. Unplug (or even better, turn off) and stow away your phone and computer. Allow yourself to fully soak up the experience. Focus your attention on what you’re doing right then. Breathe it in deeply.   

Begin to honor your body’s natural rhythms. Pay close attention to when you become tired at night, and allow yourself to unwind and prepare for sleep then. Ideally, you should detach yourself from all your electrical gadgets, like cell phones, computers, and TV, at least a half an hour to an hour before you go to bed. This allows your eyes and your brain to settle down from the stimulation, and creates much deeper sleep for most people.

Some people get a great benefit from a little rest or rejuvenation in the afternoon. This could be a short nap, a quick five-minute break from work with deep breathing or stretching, or a healthy green drink for a natural boost in energy.

If you’re a parent and find it difficult to carve out time for yourself, start with brief periods, whenever you can find them, to recharge your batteries. Try asking a friend or family member to watch the kids for a while so you can schedule some time for your own rejuvenation. It’s a win-win for everyone! When you are refreshed, the energy you can offer your children is much more present. As a mother, something I like to do is schedule time with my son doing things together that replenish both of us. We love to share walks in nature, yoga and stretching, painting and crafts, gardening, dancing to music, and just taking time to gaze at the clouds and smell the flowers.

Occasionally, taking longer breaks from everyday life can be incredibly valuable. Sometimes just getting away for a weekend can lift our spirits and give us a new perspective. A change of scenery can be refreshing, and taking time away from our regular responsibilities allows our inner world to come alive in a new way.

It’s amazing how a few days in nature can recharge a person’s batteries. We recently made a long weekend getaway to Big Sur, driving along the magnificent coastline of central California to our destination among the towering redwoods. Each day we spent there allowed for layers of everyday stress to melt away. We unplugged from technology and just soaked in the natural beauty around us. When we returned, I was much more able to focus with renewed mental clarity.

Allow yourself the gift of scheduling time to relax and recharge, even if it’s just creating small moments to do something that restores your natural energy levels. Slow down and take conscious breaks from media and technology. You’ll probably notice a greater balance in your daily rhythms. You may also discover a greater ability to give to the world around you without becoming depleted. Practice honoring yourself in this way; soon, you will feel a boost in your energy, and you’ll find yourself living with greater joy and vitality.

What is it that you want to create in your life? Are you looking for a transformation in your health and well-being? Have you started down the path to better health, only to sabotage it by resuming your old habits and patterns? What are you waiting for?

If you’re ready to make your health a priority, I would love to support you on your healing journey. I believe people need to be heard, to be listened to, especially when it comes to healing. We all have so many facets to our lives—our personalities, our “stories”, our physical health, our emotional well-being. All of these are inextricably connected to how we feel and the choices we make.

I listen and respond from a place of compassion and non-judgment. Combining wisdom and knowledge with the guidance of intuition, I meet each person I work with on a soul level. I help my clients look at their health from every angle: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. When one area is out of balance or unsatisfied, we try to “fill up” other areas. Simply look at how we satisfy cravings with unhealthy food choices.

Together we’ll work to help you understand your choices on deeper levels, and we’ll put together a plan of action that is not only simple, but also fulfilling and nourishing. We’ll uncover the foods that are making you feel unhealthy and find the foods your body will thrive on. I believe in the power of real foods (foods that come from nature, not from a factory) and their ability to heal and rejuvenate our bodies. I also believe that when you commit to truly healing yourself and have the proper support, you can move mountains. Let’s take your dreams of vibrant health and turn them into reality!

I often make this dip when I entertain or need something to share at gatherings. People often ask, “What is this made of?!?” I love to see people’s faces light up when they realize that what they’re devouring is completely healthy. Did I mention it’s also super easy to make?

Here’s my basic pate’ recipe. Feel free to play around with ingredients—you can always use a different combination of soaked nuts and seeds, vegetables, fresh herbs, and seasonings. Get creative and have fun!

Recipe for Veggie Nut Pate’

• 3 cups soaked almonds (soak 8 hours, or overnight, in water)

• 2 cups soaked cashews (soak 4 hours, in water)

• 2 carrots, chopped

• 1 zucchini, chopped

• 1 bunch parsley or dill, chopped

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice (more or less, to taste)

• 1/4 cup coconut aminos (optional, a replacement for tamari)

• 1/4 cup water (more or less, for blending)

• 1–2 cloves garlic, minced

• ¼ tsp. turmeric

• ⅛ tsp. cumin

• ¼ tsp. Herbamare™ or sea salt

Drain and rinse almonds and cashews. Add to food processor and blend. Slowly add olive oil, lemon juice, and coconut aminos, along with enough water to bring to the consistency of your liking. Then add vegetables, parsley or dill, and seasonings. Continue blending in the food processor until you have a smooth texture. Adjust seasoning to taste. Then sit back and enjoy!